Into the Wild Spaces - Czech Republichttp://therandymon.com/
by Randall WoodenSerendipity 1.7.8 - http://www.s9y.org/Fri, 05 Sep 2014 22:11:34 GMThttp://therandymon.com/templates/default/img/s9y_banner_small.pngRSS: Into the Wild Spaces - Czech Republic - by Randall Woodhttp://therandymon.com/
10021Walking Praguehttp://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/4-Walking-Prague.html
Czech Republichttp://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/4-Walking-Prague.html#commentshttp://therandymon.com/wfwcomment.php?cid=40http://therandymon.com/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=4nospam@example.com (Randall Wood)
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<p>Prague, the invincible city. We set off to explore it knowing only that to
understand its past would require time incommensurate with the amount of
time we'd be there. And so it was, the three of us wandering the cobbled
streets through Hussite, Baroque, Renaissance, Communist, and Art Nouveau
influences, trying to piece it all together. We rode street cars and
underground metros, walked the Hrad&ccedil;any and the Mal&aacute; Strana,
and retired evenings to a lovely hotel on a wooded street behind the
magnificent N&aacute;m&#283;st&iacute; M&iacute;ru church.
<p>The Czechs are without a doubt the most friendly and welcoming people I've
met in the past decades. We found them sharply dressed, good natured, and
kindhearted. We never set foot in a street car without some person leaping
immediately to his or her feet, offering a seat to the tourist family
traveling with an 11-month old baby. We bought some baby clothes in a
little shop not far from our hotel, from a woman who insisted on giving
Valentina a gift as well; and even the ticket collector on the street car
took the time to give us a smile and wish us well in his city. Lots of
other cultures, including my own, could take lessons in hospitality from the
Czechs. <br /><a href="http://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/4-Walking-Prague.html#extended">Continue reading "Walking Prague"</a>
Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:17:13 +0000http://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/4-guid.htmlCeský Krumlovhttp://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/5-Cesky-Krumlov.html
Czech Republichttp://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/5-Cesky-Krumlov.html#commentshttp://therandymon.com/wfwcomment.php?cid=50http://therandymon.com/rss.php?version=2.0&type=comments&cid=5nospam@example.com (Randall Wood)
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<p>Its name betrayed the simplicity of the place, but not its elegance: &#268;esk&#253;
Krumlov, the "Czech bend in the river." There in the 13th century the local
village erected a husky tower from which the garrison could survey the
watercourse and hillsides below. From roadside where our bus from Prague
delivered us, the tower - cylindrical, drawn to a flag-bearing point over a
porticoed walkway apt for crossbow-bearing archers - dominated the horizon.
<p>But the tower's prominence receded immediately as we approached the village
and the river drew into view. A dramatic oxbow bend made permanent by the
human settlement that fortified its banks, the river (headwaters of the
Vltava/Moldau) poured forth from the wooded foothills of the &#352;umava mountains,
nearly touching its own shoulder blades here before hustling north to the
plains and eventually through Prague. Within the confines of the switchback
lay a cobbled village of whitewashed buildings, tiled roofs, and arched,
timber bridges. <br /><a href="http://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/5-Cesky-Krumlov.html#extended">Continue reading "Ceský Krumlov"</a>
Sun, 14 Jun 2009 21:02:26 +0000http://therandymon.com/index.php?/archives/5-guid.html